Welcome to the Utah Public Notice Website: Your central source for all public notice information in Utah

About the Utah Public Notice Website

The Utah Public Notice Website is dedicated to bringing greater accessibility to public notice information and increased participation by the public. It is a central source for all public notice information statewide, provided in a standardized format for publishing. It allows the public to subscribe by email to a Body to receive its notices and updates.

Public notice informs members of the general public of government or government-related activities which may concern their local area, municipality, county, or state. The Open and Public Meetings Act (Utah Code Title 52, Chapter 4) mandates that notice and the agendas of public meetings be available to the public. The minutes of open meetings and public information distributed at the open meeting are public information. A state agency Body and the legislative body of a county, city, or town are required to post these materials on the Utah Public Notice Website. The audio recordings of open meetings are also public information and the audio recordings of state bodies must be available through the website, either by posting or linking. Audio recording of open meetings of the state's political subdivisions are not required to be on the website, but must be otherwise available to the public.

Requirements for other types of public notice can be found in more than 60 statutes in Utah law. They are located in statutes regulating the actions of state agency bodies and commissions, and many can be found in the laws that govern counties (Utah Code Title 11 and Title 17), municipalities (Utah Code Title 10 and Title 11), local or special districts (Utah Code Title 17B, 17C, and 17D), and other references.

In some specific mandates, public notices must not only be posted on the Utah Public Notice Website, but also on the Legal Notice Website (as established in Utah Code Section 45-1-101). However, posting public notice on the Legal Notice Website does not relieve a Body from posting public notice on the Utah Public Notice Website if legally required.

Understanding Notices:

Click on a term to read its definition

Body

A Body is any administrative, advisory, executive, or legislative body of the state or its political subdivisions that: is created by the Utah Constitution, statute, rule, ordinance, or resolution; consists of two or more persons; expends, disburses, or is supported in whole or in part by tax revenue; and is vested with the authority to make decisions regarding the public's business.

Public Notice

A Public Notice is a way of informing the general public of government or government-related activities which may concern their local area, municipality, county, or state.

Public Meeting

A public meeting is a forum that is reasonably structured and formal in nature, and open to the general public. The time, place and agenda of the meeting must be posted in advance as required by Utah Code Section 52-4-202. In order for a public meeting to be closed, it must first be closed from action taken in an open meeting and must meet the criteria of Utah Code Section 52-4-205.

Public Hearing

A Public Hearing is a portion of a meeting intended to receive input from the general public. A public hearing may be required by ordinance or statute. The time, place and subject of the hearing must be posted as required by an ordinance or statute.

Public Information:

Many bodies now have the minutes, audio recordings, and other materials from their open and public meetings on the website. All state agency bodies are required to post this information, while specified local government bodies are required to post minutes and handouts. To find this public information, search for the Body, then look at the attachments.

About Public Notice Website:

Utah's bodies are required to post notices of open meetings and other public notices on the Utah Public Notice Website. The statute establishing this website is in Utah Code Section 63F-1-701, but there are many mandates dictating the information and timing of public notices. To learn more »

Training

The Utah State Archives has tools to assist those tasked with posting public notices online. To learn more »